more on tight end Tommy Galt (45). Photo by
http://www.flickr.com/photos/virtualsugar/ / CC BY 2.0
by DCist contributor Brett Gellman
The Coastal Division of the ACC is representing the conference well, as two teams are currently ranked in the Top 25. It’s going to be a real battle between Virginia Tech, Miami (FL), and Georgia Tech to see who will ultimately reach the conference championship game in Tampa Bay.
As for the Atlantic Division? Well, it’s just an utter mess.
Florida State’s season is already in shambles, as they are 0-3 in the conference while legendary coach Bobby Bowden is slowly being showed the door. Clemson has already dropped two games including an inexplicable 24-21 loss to Maryland in which the Tigers missed three field goals. Boston College got demolished by national title contender Virginia Tech last weekend, and N.C. State just fell to Duke. Yes, Duke.
The only true contender in the Atlantic Division at this time is Wake Forest (4-2, 2-1 ACC). Senior quarterback Riley Skinner threw a career-high four touchdowns when the Demon Deacons defeated Maryland 42-32 in Winston-Salem last weekend. The Terps defense simply fell asleep at the wheel, allowing the Deacs 35 points in the first half alone. Clemson fans must have been scratching their heads at this result.
This Saturday’s homecoming contest will pit Maryland (2-4, 1-1 ACC) against rival Virginia (2-3, 1-0 ACC) in what be a key game for two teams who need this game if they have any chance of righting the ship. The Terps’ chances to salvage their season and earn a bowl bid is fading at the halfway point of the schedule. After dropping games to Middle Tennessee State and Rutgers, the opponents only get harder from here on out. The same goes for UVA. The Cavaliers, who started the season horrifically by falling to William & Mary at home, are coming off a strong performance against Indiana, crushing the Hoosiers by 40 points, continuing head coach Al Groh’s habit of having terrible September games and bouncing back in October.
